Chapter 65 – "Haley and Alex"
Dunphy Family House – Los Angeles
It was late afternoon when Grant parked his car in front of Aunt Claire's house. He had just finished his work with Justin and Hailey Bieber and was looking forward to relaxing a bit with his family. The golden California sun painted the sky with orange hues, and the cool evening air brought a certain relief after an intense day.
He knocked on the door, and before he could even wait for a response, the door swung open.
— "GRANT!"
Before he could react, Haley practically threw herself at him, hugging him so tightly that she almost knocked him backward.
— "Wow, Haley, I missed you too, but that was intense!" — Grant laughed, trying to catch his breath.
— "SHUT UP!" — Haley shouted, pulling away and holding his face in her hands. "YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU WERE DOING SECURITY FOR JUSTIN BIEBER AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"
Before he could answer, Alex appeared at the door, eyes wide and mouth agape in shock.
— "WAIT. WHAT?!"
— "We have to process this first." — Haley put her hands on her hips, taking a deep breath.
Alex crossed her arms, staring at Grant with a serious look.
— "You worked for Justin Bieber and you didn't even bother to tell us?!"
— "It was just a job, I didn't think it was a big deal…" — Grant replied with a shrug.
Haley gasped dramatically.
— "Not a big deal?! Justin Bieber was my adolescence! I dreamed of marrying him!"
— "And I still listen to his music," — Alex confessed. "His voice is perfect, don't judge me."
— "Calm down, guys," — Grant raised his hands, trying to appease the situation. "I finished the job yesterday. It was professional. They're normal people, like anyone else."
— "ANYONE ELSE?!" — Haley exclaimed. "HE'S JUSTIN. BIEBER."
Alex pointed at him.
— "You were face to face with him, you talked to him, and you must have even met his baby! Tell me you at least took a picture of Jack!"
Grant laughed.
— "Okay, I admit it. Their baby is adorable. Hailey is always carrying him around the house."
— "AAAAAAAAAAH!" — Haley screamed, jumping on the sofa. "I can't believe it! You held Justin Bieber's son in your arms and didn't even think to tell me?!"
— "Guys, it was just a job!" — Grant laughed, throwing himself into the armchair.
— "Did you help Justin get on stage?!" — Haley suddenly asked.
— "No, but I was next to him at some outings and events."
— "YOU WALKED NEXT TO HIM AT EVENTS." — Alex repeated, as if she needed to process the information.
— "Yes, and guess what? He puts his pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else."
— "That's blasphemy," — Haley said, covering her ears.
Later, at dinner
After the initial outburst, Grant, Haley, and Alex sat down at the kitchen table for dinner with Claire, Phil, and Luke. The topic, of course, was still Justin Bieber.
— "So, what's he like?" — Claire asked, pouring herself a glass of wine.
— "Nice guy," — Grant replied. "Pretty laid-back, actually. He just wants to live his life without being chased all the time."
— "Makes sense," — Phil commented. "I know what it's like to have fans following me." "After my YouTube channel, people recognize me on the street."
Claire rolled her eyes.
"Phil, it's one thing to have two random neighbors watching your videos, it's another to be Justin Bieber."
"Still, fame has its price," Phil said dramatically.
Haley ignored the side conversation and continued her investigation.
"And Hailey Bieber? What's she like? She's perfect, isn't she? I knew it! She's the most stylish woman in the world!"
Grant smiled.
"She's super nice. And very protective of Jack. They're a very close-knit family."
"And you stayed at their house?" Alex asked, interested.
"A few times, yes. I trained their private security guards too."
Haley and Alex exchanged glances, as if telepathically saying, "That's unfair."
"I'd give anything to be in your place," Haley lamented.
"Well, you could try getting into the personal security business," Grant joked.
"Oh, yeah," Alex scoffed. "Because I'm the perfect person to take down a six-foot-tall attacker."
"Oh, come on, guys, relax," Grant laughed. "If I'd known you'd freak out so much, I would have told you sooner."
"This is an outrage," Haley joked. "The next time you work for a celebrity, I demand to be informed immediately!"
"Okay, okay," Grant surrendered. "Next time, I'll let you know."
Haley and Alex smiled, finally satisfied.
And as dinner continued, Grant realized how much he missed these chaotic moments with his family. They could exaggerate, they could freak out, but ultimately, that's exactly what made it all special.
Chapter 66 – "Taylor Swift and Grant's New Mission"
Pritchett-Tucker House – Los Angeles
The morning sun streamed through the enormous windows of the Pritchett-Tucker house, illuminating the modern living room, decorated with family photos and mementos of Mitchell, Cameron, and, of course, Grant's achievements. The smell of fresh coffee filled the air, and Cameron, as usual, was preparing a hearty breakfast.
Grant came down the stairs wearing a tight black t-shirt and dark jeans. His athletic physique still bore the marks of years of military service and now, of his new life in private security. He looked at the table and saw that Cameron had made pancakes with bacon.
— "Now that's a king's breakfast!" — Grant said, grabbing a cup of coffee.
— "After all, my son now protects pop stars!" — Cameron said proudly. "First Beyoncé, then Justin Bieber, and now..."
Grant smiled and shook his head.
— "You guys are going to freak out."
Mitchell, who was reading the newspaper on his tablet, looked up curiously.
— "What? Who are you going to work for now? A president? A king? Elon Musk?"
Grant took a sip of his coffee and looked at them with a smile at the corner of his lips.
— "Taylor Swift."
The silence lasted two seconds.
— "WHAT?!" — Cameron dropped the spatula on the stove, his eyes wide.
— "You're kidding." — Mitchell said, taking off his reading glasses.
— "I'm not. I just received confirmation. I'm going to be one of the people responsible for her security while she's in LA for the shows."
Cameron put his hands over his mouth, incredulous.
— "Oh my God! Taylor Swift?! MY Taylor Swift?!"
Grant laughed.
— "Yes, Dad. Your Taylor Swift."
Cameron started pacing back and forth in the kitchen. — "Does that mean you'll be near her?! Talking to her?! You know she's an icon, right?! She's like the voice of a generation! Taylor Swift!"
Mitchell crossed his arms and looked at Grant.
— "And what exactly are you going to do?"
— "Personal security," Grant replied. "From her arrival in LA until the end of the shows. We'll monitor potential threats, take care of security during travel, events, and backstage. Normal stuff."
Cameron laughed, incredulous.
— "'Normal stuff'? YOU'RE GOING TO PROTECT TAYLOR SWIFT! That's way bigger than normal!"
Grant chuckled and continued eating his pancakes.
— "Well, at least now I know I got breakfast right," Cameron said.
Later that day, Grant decided to visit Aunt Claire's house to tell the rest of the family the news. He knew Haley and Alex would freak out again, and he wanted to see their reaction.
Upon entering the Dunphy house, he immediately felt the usual chaotic energy. Luke was on the couch watching TV, Phil was tinkering with something in the garage, and Claire was finishing a phone call.
— "Grant! It's good you came!" Claire said, hanging up the phone.
— "Hi, Aunt. Where are Haley and Alex?"
— "In their room. Why?"
Grant smiled.
— "I have some news they'll like."
Claire raised an eyebrow and shouted down the hallway.
— "Haley! Alex! Come down here now!"
Seconds later, the two appeared in the living room.
— "What is it, Mom?" Haley asked, while Alex looked curiously at Grant.
— "Grant has something to tell you."
Grant looked at his cousins and, without hesitation, said:
— "I've been hired to do security for Taylor Swift here in LA."
Their expressions froze for a moment.
— "NO." Haley said, eyes wide.
— "YOU'RE KIDDING." Alex added, also shocked.
— "I'm not." The two girls screamed at the same time.
— "AAAAAHHHH!"
Haley jumped onto the sofa, while Alex held her head, trying to process the information.
— "Are you telling me you're going to be next to Taylor Swift?! That you're going to talk to her?! See her every day?!" — Hailey exclaimed.
— "Basically, yes." — Grant replied, amused by their reaction.
— "I need to go to that show." — Alex said.
— "Me too! I HAVE TO SEE HER!" — Haley exclaimed.
— "Guys, I'm her security guard, not the event organizer."
— "But can you get tickets?" — Hailey asked, hopefully.
Grant sighed.
— "I'll see what I can do, but I don't promise anything."
The two girls freaked out a little more, and Claire just shook her head, laughing.
— "This boy came back from the army and now he's become the official protector of celebrities." — Claire joked.
— "Oh, and I just wanted to say that our cousin here is officially the luckiest guy in the world." — Alex said.
— "I agree 100%!" — Haley added.
Grant just laughed. He was already used to this kind of reaction, but it was always fun to see his family excited about his job.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the day Taylor Swift would arrive in Los Angeles to begin his new mission.
[email protected]/SHADOWGHOST07
DO NOT subscribe to my Patreon through the iOS/Apple Store. Not only will they charge you 30% more, but they will also hold the funds for 75 days before releasing them to me, which is very detrimental to me. If you're reading this on an iPhone, please contribute via browser/PC